Vietnam Visa Requirements by Nationality

The Vietnam visa requirements depend on your passport: citizens of 24 European and Asian countries can stay up to 45 days without a visa, a group of mostly ASEAN countries get 14 to 90 days under bilateral agreements, and everyone else needs a visa, usually the e-visa. This page shows how to decide, the full visa-free list with its legal basis, transit rules and the guides by country. If you need an e-visa, you can apply for your e-visa with us.

Every nationality can apply for the Vietnam e-visa, valid for up to 90 days, under Law 23/2023/QH15 (checked October 2026). We checked the visa-free lists below against the government resolutions and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list on October 8, 2026.

Do you need a visa?

Your situation	What you need
Your passport is on the visa-free list and your stay fits the allowed days	No visa; passport valid for at least 6 months from entry, with two blank pages
Your passport is not on the list, or you stay longer than allowed	An e-visa before you travel
You stay inside the airport transit area between flights	No visa

Do you need a visa for Vietnam?

Yes, unless your passport is on Vietnam's visa-free list and your stay is within the allowed number of days. Most travelers, including citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, India and China, need a visa. Citizens of the UK, Germany, France, Japan and 20 other countries do not, for stays up to 45 days.

Visa-free entry has limits. Each stay has a maximum length counted from your entry date, and some exemptions cover only tourism. If your plans go beyond either, you need a visa even if your country is on the list.

Visa-free, e-visa or visa on arrival: how to decide

A visa is required for Vietnam unless you qualify for an exemption, and for most visitors that visa is the e-visa. The choice comes down to three questions, in this order:

1. Is your passport on the visa-free list, and is your stay short enough? If both answers are yes, you need no visa.
2. Are you entering by land or sea, or traveling alone? Choose the e-visa. It is accepted at 79 border gates: 15 international airports, 26 land border gates and 38 seaports (as of October 2026).
3. Are you a group flying into Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang or Cam Ranh? Visa on arrival is also possible: you get an approval letter before you fly and pay a $25 or $50 stamping fee at the airport. Our visa on arrival service arranges the letter.

The e-visa suits nearly every trip, which is why we recommend it unless you are visa-free. For a side-by-side comparison, read e-visa or visa on arrival.

Vietnam visa-free countries

Vietnam visa-free countries fall into three groups, each based on a different legal document with its own conditions. The tables list ordinary passport holders, as of October 2026. Our visa-free entry list covers the conditions in more detail, including Phu Quoc island.

Unilateral exemption, 45 days

Under Resolution 44/NQ-CP, citizens of 12 countries can stay up to 45 days from the entry date, for any purpose and with any passport type, from March 15, 2025 to March 14, 2028:

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Tourism program, 45 days

Under Resolution 229/NQ-CP, citizens of 12 more European countries can stay up to 45 days for tourism, from August 15, 2025 to August 14, 2028:

Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

This exemption covers tourism only. A business trip from one of these countries needs a visa.

Bilateral agreements

Bilateral agreements give ordinary passport holders of the countries below a visa-free stay, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list (published June 30, 2025):

Country	Visa-free stay
Chile, Panama	90 days
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand	30 days
Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia	30 days
Belarus	30 days, up to 90 days per calendar year
Philippines	21 days
Brunei	14 days

Countries that need a visa

Every country not listed above needs a visa for Vietnam, and every one is eligible for the e-visa. Which countries need a visa for Vietnam? Among the most common visitors: the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, India and China, as well as most of Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

Because every nationality is among the Vietnam visa eligible countries for the e-visa, you never need an embassy appointment for a tourist or short business trip. The e-visa runs up to 90 days, single or multiple entry, and a 90-day multiple-entry e-visa costs the same as a 30-day one through us. Travelers from visa-free countries who plan to stay longer than their exemption also need one.

Vietnam transit visa rules

You do not need a Vietnam transit visa if you stay in the airport transit area while you wait for a connecting flight. Article 25 of Law 47/2014/QH13, on the entry, exit, transit and residence of foreigners, sets this rule.

If you leave the transit area, for example to change airports, collect bags on a separate ticket or spend the layover in the city, you are entering Vietnam and need a visa or a visa-free right. Check with your airline whether your bags are checked through before you assume you can stay airside.

Vietnam visa requirements by country

The Vietnam visa requirements for your passport, with local-currency prices and urgent cut-off times in your time zone, are in the guide for your country. Our guides start with the eight countries we hear from most:

Country	Visa needed?
India	Yes, e-visa
United States	Yes, e-visa
Canada	Yes, e-visa
Australia	Yes, e-visa
New Zealand	Yes, e-visa
Ireland	Yes, e-visa
United Kingdom	No, up to 45 days; e-visa for longer stays
Malaysia	No, up to 30 days; e-visa for longer stays

Once you know you need an e-visa, the next step is the paperwork: passport, photo and trip details are covered on our e-visa requirements page.

eVisaVietnam.com is a private visa service operated by TK VIET NAM., JSC, not the Vietnamese government. You can apply yourself at evisa.gov.vn for US$25. If you want your documents checked before submission and a refund if the e-visa is refused or late, apply for your e-visa with us.